Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Says Trump Administration Will Be 'Catalyst' for Self-Driving Tech

[DrewDaHilp1]

As long as I have the choice. I love driving! And how am I supposed to enjoy my future Mustang GT when it's just driving itself?

Now for those long, 12-hour interstate hauls that I've done, I give self driving cars an affirmative YES PLEASE.

Exactly. Picture dystopian future. "I'm sorry citizen you have already used your allotted mileage for the month. Please seek alternative transportation."

 

[v0lume4]

Exactly. Picture dystopian future. "I'm sorry citizen you have already used your allotted mileage for the month. Please seek alternative transportation."

Uhhh, no. Please no.

I think a fully self driving future is one of those things that we may never get to. The optimists would tell you otherwise. But like fully self-aware artificial intelligence (like in the movie "Her"), we may or may never get over "the hump." There's just too many if's and exceptions (especially on the road).

Likewise, on that note, advanced AI and self driving cars go hand in hand. We'll see.

 

[DrewDaHilp1]

Uhhh, no. Please no.

I think a fully self driving future is one of those things that we may never get to. The optimists would tell you otherwise. But like fully self-aware artificial intelligence (like in the movie "Her"), we may or may never get over "the hump." There's just too many if's and exceptions (especially on the road).

Likewise, on that note, advanced AI and self driving cars go hand in hand. We'll see.

The possibility that I'm afraid of is the whole choice thing, where you have no option but to use self driving.

 

[truthertech]

The last person/people I want making a Self-Driving car is the Trump/ T Administration.

But I KNOW Trump will take credit: "I invented the self driving car!"
Sound familiar?

(think back 17 years)

The good thing is that you won't have to worry about any administration making cars in the USA. The government doesn't make cars in America; private companies manufacture them. The government's role is as Secretary Chao stated, focused on safety, etc.

 

[samiwas]

So, tech that has been evolving for many years now, will suddenly be Trump's doing. Gotta love that logic. And if anyone thinks he won't take credit for the technology, you are delusional.

As long as I have the choice. I love driving! And how am I supposed to enjoy my future Mustang GT when it's just driving itself?

Now for those long, 12-hour interstate hauls that I've done, I give self driving cars an affirmative YES PLEASE.

This I how I feel. I don't really care about driving flashy sports cars, but my wife and I often explore new neighborhoods and tour the open houses. Or, I have to deliver equipment to some specific door of some skanky warehouse in an overgrown parking lot. Not things easily done with a solely computer-based car.

But've I've had discussions with plenty of "urban fabric" die-hards who want all human control of vehicles completely removed. When I ask about all the situations in which a computer may not be able to do as desired, the response is "then you'll just have to change". One even said that as the tech was evolving, we would get to the point where streets would have to be shut down completely to allow human-driven vehicles to pass, because of how dangerous they are. Yeah...people are that crazy.

 

[v0lume4]

So, tech that has been evolving for many years now, will suddenly be Trump's doing. Gotta love that logic. And if anyone thinks he won't take credit for the technology, you are delusional.



This I how I feel. I don't really care about driving flashy sports cars, but my wife and I often explore new neighborhoods and tour the open houses. Or, I have to deliver equipment to some specific door of some skanky warehouse in an overgrown parking lot. Not things easily done with a solely computer-based car.

But've I've had discussions with plenty of "urban fabric" die-hards who want all human control of vehicles completely removed. When I ask about all the situations in which a computer may not be able to do as desired, the response is "then you'll just have to change". One even said that as the tech was evolving, we would get to the point where streets would have to be shut down completely to allow human-driven vehicles to pass, because of how dangerous they are. Yeah...people are that crazy.

I know exactly the type you're referring to.

Great example -- how do you tell a self driving car to pull to door #2 when drop shipping products at the warehouse where I work? Or how do I tell it to pull over to the side of the road because I have to get a picture of this brilliant sunset? How do I get it to turn out around because of a tree that fell across the road? I have a hard time imagining a world where cars don't ship with steering wheels. And it probably won't happen, realistically. Self driving cars are fine for griditized cities (and other controlled environments), but I don't see them working too well in most areas outside of controlled environments like large cities.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

I know exactly the type you're referring to.

Great example -- how do you tell a self driving car to pull to door #2 when drop shipping products at the warehouse where I work?

GPS beacons?

Or how do I tell it to pull over to the side of the road because I have to get a picture of this brilliant sunset?

Just tell it to. I'm sure there will be a pullover override command. People aren't going to be held hostage inside their little metal cans.

How do I get it to turn out around because of a tree that fell across the road?

Again, such contingencies will have to be planned for because things like fallen tree limbs, flooded roads with bridges out, forest fires and mudslides happen. Thus cars will have to be able to respond to emergencies in some sort of fashion.

 

[v0lume4]

GPS beacons?

I'd like to see a self driving car try and navigate the parking lot/loading dock area that exists where I work.

GPS beacons can tell the car where to go, but the car being able to navigate there safely, with no marked lines, is a different story entirely.

 

[Meister]

I love everything trump is doing for this country. Voting for him was the best think I've done in a while!

Amen!!

I thank the lord every morning for this man.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

I'd like to see a self driving car try and navigate the parking lot/loading dock area that exists where I work.

GPS beacons can tell the car where to go, but the car being able to navigate there safely, with no marked lines, is a different story entirely.

That's what laser guided radar is for.

 

[magicschoolbus]

Thats my President! God bless!

 

[v0lume4]

That's what laser guided radar is for.

Until AI makes some truly remarkable advances, the actual data-gathering and sensory information has a ceiling as to the benefits that it can provide.

The limiting threshold is AI. Not the sensory technology.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

Until AI makes some truly remarkable advances, the actual data-gathering and sensory information has a ceiling as to the benefits that it can provide.

The limiting threshold is AI. Not the sensory technology.

It's just a learning thing. It will be all sorted out.

 

[v0lume4]

It's just a learning thing. It will be all sorted out.

We can hope!

 

[OLDCODGER]

Whomsoever dredged up this Frankenstein nightmare, may they rot in hell!

 

[flipperfeet]

More taking credit for s#@% that happened before he took office. I am sure his advocates will see this as a shift of "tectonic" proportions.

Elaine Chao, AKA Elaine Chao McConnell... nepotism is a conflict of interest anywhere but congress and the Trump administration.

 

[Snoopy4]

More taking credit for s#@% that happened before he took office. I am sure his advocates will see this as a shift of "tectonic" proportions.

Elaine Chao, AKA Elaine Chao McConnell... nepotism is a conflict of interest anywhere but congress and the Trump administration.

Um...that's quite a stretch of the term. She was also Deputy Secretary for the DOT.
[doublepost=1488247647][/doublepost]

I'd like to see a self driving car try and navigate the parking lot/loading dock area that exists where I work.

GPS beacons can tell the car where to go, but the car being able to navigate there safely, with no marked lines, is a different story entirely.

Baby steps. It engages when you're joining a highway in rush hour.

 

[Zaqfalcon]

E'road'lane Chao's' - Coincidence? I don't think so...

 

[flipperfeet]

Um...that's quite a stretch of the term. She was also Deputy Secretary for the DOT.
[doublepost=1488247647][/doublepost]

It was nepotism when she was at the DOT and could weigh in on policies and regulations that could benefit Kentucky’s more than 480 automotive-related manufacturing, service and technology establishments, which include four major auto assembly plants. It is not a stretch of the term at all.

Congressmen's immediate family should not be allowed to serve in roles that affect policy, regulation or distribution of funds, or directly enrich them. It amounts to lining their pockets at our expense.

 

[samiwas]

It's just a learning thing. It will be all sorted out.

So, are you in support of human control of vehicles being eliminated entirely, and only computer-controlled vehicles being allowed?
[doublepost=1488315348][/doublepost]I once had a conversation with a fabric who stated that self-driving cars were 100% analogous to an elevator in that they took you from point A to point B. So, when I asked for clarification, saying "So, a vehicle on a series of roads with no bounds, encountering all types of weather, obstacles, and other drivers, is the same as an elevator on a straight dedicated guide rail?" He answered "Yes". That's the moment I knew that there was no reasoning with those types.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

So, are you in support of human control of vehicles being eliminated entirely, and only computer-controlled vehicles being allowed

No. I don't think that will ever be the case. We have auto pilot, yet people still fly planes. I see technology as an assistant to humanity, not a replacement.

That being said there are certain areas where this tech probably will replace humans....uber and Lyft drivers for instance. Why have a human who may or may not be nice and may not even be good at directions take you somewhere when you could have a robot car pick you up and not get lost or be drunk or a mass shooter, etc.

I'm torn on this last bit because I like people having opportunities but if cars could drive themselves it sure would be helpful to certain segments of society. Imagine an elderly or blind person able to get around on their own with their own car in a way that is impossible now.

 

[Nunyabinez]

If Chao waters down the 15 point safety assessment that will be an extreme disappointment to me. I'm not sure of the kind of mental calculus one would employ to decide to make it easier for self driving cars to become a reality on our roads. Nothing about this process should be easy. It should be one of the hardest things the automotive industry has ever had to do. At a bare minimum, if an auto maker or software supplier can't hit every point on the safety assessment they should not be allowed to bring a product to market.

Deaths by Autos 2015 = 35,092

Automated cars don't have to be perfect, they just have to kill less that 35,000 people a year to be viable.

(actually, less than 1.12 deaths per 100,000 miles driven)

 

[69Mustang]

Deaths by Autos 2015 = 35,092

Automated cars don't have to be perfect, they just have to kill less that 35,000 people a year to be viable.

(actually, less than 1.12 deaths per 100,000 miles driven)

I don't recall anyone advocating perfection. Least of all me. I am advocating any participating manufacturer or software supplier hitting the minimum of the recommended requirements in the 15 point assessment. Minimum =/= perfection.
[doublepost=1488322458][/doublepost]

That being said there are certain areas where this tech probably will replace humans....uber and Lyft drivers for instance. Why have a human who may or may not be nice and may not even be good at directions take you somewhere when you could have a robot car pick you up and not get lost or be drunk or a mass shooter, etc.

There's a flip side. Mapping software isn't entirely accurate and/or up to date. Highly Automated Vehicles (HAV) will be utterly dependent on the accuracy of the information in their systems. A human working an area may know certain things about an area that the car's systems won't. Store closed/moved, allow for emergency stops, etc. *Hyperbole Alert* What if you're in your autonomous Lyft (Uber is going to be out of business soon) and it's driving you to work. During your drive, you turn onto 1st and a shootout starts. (remember, I'm being hyperbolic and using a bit of fear mongering if I'm honest. I am.) A human driver would try to GTFO of there PDQ. Meanwhile, your Wall-E would continue on it's merry way through the shootout. MadeTheSwitch unfortunately takes a shotgun slug to the gut. He's bleeding out. Fortunately, the slugs also incapacitate the car. EMS arrives in time to get to you to the hospital. You survive but you're embarrassed because you werern't wearing clean underwear like your mom to you to do. You return to work only to find out you have a 3 day suspension because you were late on the day you got shot. You come back from your suspension to find you've been downsized and replaced by Alexa's AI* because she doesn't need an autonomous Lyft to get to work. If you had a human driver, you'd still have a job. Moral of the story, call the office if you're going to be late.

*Siri was your original replacement. Although very pretty, it became quite evident she was not good at her job.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

I don't recall anyone advocating perfection. Least of all me. I am advocating any participating manufacturer or software supplier hitting the minimum of the recommended requirements in the 15 point assessment. Minimum =/= perfection.
[doublepost=1488322458][/doublepost]
There's a flip side. Mapping software isn't entirely accurate and/or up to date. Highly Automated Vehicles (HAV) will be utterly dependent on the accuracy of the information in their systems. A human working an area may know certain things about an area that the car's systems won't. Store closed/moved, allow for emergency stops, etc. *Hyperbole Alert* What if you're in your autonomous Lyft (Uber is going to be out of business soon) and it's driving you to work. During your drive, you turn onto 1st and a shootout starts. (remember, I'm being hyperbolic and using a bit of fear mongering if I'm honest. I am.) A human driver would try to GTFO of there PDQ. Meanwhile, your Wall-E would continue on it's merry way through the shootout. MadeTheSwitch unfortunately takes a shotgun slug to the gut. He's bleeding out. Fortunately, the slugs also incapacitate the car. EMS arrives in time to get to you to the hospital. You survive but you're embarrassed because you werern't wearing clean underwear like your mom to you to do. You return to work only to find out you have a 3 day suspension because you were late on the day you got shot. You come back from your suspension to find you've been downsized and replaced by Alexa's AI* because she doesn't need an autonomous Lyft to get to work. If you had a human driver, you'd still have a job. Moral of the story, call the office if you're going to be late.

*Siri was your original replacement. Although very pretty, it became quite evident she was not good at her job.

Clearly the solution is bulletproof windows and force fields! And of course flying drone robocops that would take out an unauthorized gun user before he even left his house. Or, Minority Report style pre-crime solutions.

 

[Eraserhead]

Self driving cars will destroy the flyover states economies that won Trump the election.
[doublepost=1488351668][/doublepost]

Deaths by Autos 2015 = 35,092

Automated cars don't have to be perfect, they just have to kill less that 35,000 people a year to be viable.

(actually, less than 1.12 deaths per 100,000 miles driven)

I was behind a car yesterday that had two near misses in two miles because they weren't going quick enough. And there's all the drink drivers etc.

The 90-95% of sober, non crazy slow, non crazy fast drivers probably cause ~10,000 deaths a year.